IS THERE a stable of its size in better form at the moment than that of Kate Hargreaves and Alex Ashwood?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The couple, whose base is at Shelbourne, have started the 2019-20 racing season in red-hot form, with five winners from six starters.
A trip to Mildura on Wednesday night ended with a training double for Hargreaves and a spectacular four victories in the sulky for Ashwood, who also drove two winners for Mildura trainer Sandra O'Connor.
Those wins added to a successful night for the Bendigo harness racing fraternity.
Ellen Tormey picked up a training win with Hancocks Hero, as did Gary Donaldson with his four-year-old mare Leigha Miller.
The Hargreaves-Ashwood team scored winners with the highly promising and in-form Zazu and Lorimer Lady, who was having her first start for the stable.
Much like his trainers, Zazu, a five-year-old gelding, has started the season all guns blazing with three-straight wins, to give him an almost unblemished record of four wins from five career starts.
Ashwood predicted Zazu would only get better with more racing.
"He is a progressive type of horse and has a good attitude towards his racing," he said.
"We are just discussing with owners whether we will turn him out, or give him another run before the paddock and bring him back from some of the nice races halfway through the summer.
"He's only going to get better."
The double at Mildura puts Hargreaves well on the way to achieving her aim of eclipsing last season's career-best 24 winners.
"It (the new season) has started off great, you would have to say the horses have been pretty well placed, which is a credit to Kate," Ashwood said.
"They have been getting the right runs, which make things easier.
"You couldn't start the season the any better to be honest. She has set herself a little goal and I think she is a big chance of achieving it."
A commanding 18.20-metre win for Lorimer Lady came in the mare's first start in more than five months and was her first career success in seven starts.
It capped a quartet of wins at Mildura for Ashwood, who scored a double for home-track trainer Sandra O'Connor with Metro Princess and Balieborough, and continued a prosperous affiliation with the City Oval Paceway.
"The drive up to Mildura is a bit of a killer, but it's been very rewarding for me over the last few years," he said.
"Sandra has been a big supporter, so I can't thank her enough.
"I'm enjoying the start to the (2019-20) season - it would be nice to keep improving each season and keep on growing into bigger and better things
"If you keep on working hard, it's going to happen eventually."
Ashwood leads all Bendigo region drivers with six winners this month.
The 25-year-old is intent on surpassing last season's career-best effort of 66 winners.
He will have one drive tonight (Wednesday) at Geelong for Gisborne trainer Don Lock aboard Chu Chits, who is second-up after a nine-month spell.
The trotting mare is currently on the second line of betting at $4.
Meanwhile, a productive month for the Bendigo region so far has included 25 training wins (from 12 different trainers) and 22 driving wins.
Glenn Douglas leads the training ranks with six wins, boosted by the victories of Goodnight Cowboy at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night and Ozzie Bogan at Maryborough on Monday.
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
